One night in November 1987, Cowboy Junkies set up in Toronto’s Trinity Church, which is in a square surrounding by the Eaton Centre. There was one mic and a single DAT recorder (actually, it was a Sony Betamax SL-2000 video cassette deck connected to a Sony PCM-F1 analog/digital converter, and a Calrec ambisonic microphone. The band recorded directly to tape with no mixing, no edits, and no overdubs. Total cost was around $100, not including the $25 payoff to a security guard who kindly allowed them an extra two hours’ recording time or the several boxes of pizzas.
The result was The Trinity Session, a landmark lofi record that sold several million copies.
Sweet Jane is a Velvet Underground cover, of course. Lou Reed said that it was his all-time favourite version of the song.
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